University of Pennsylvania

Dr. George Kannarkat is an MD-PhD trained physician-scientist who is an Instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. He cares for individuals with movement disorders, focusing on Parkinson’s disease, while concurrently working in the lab of Dr. Alice Chen-Plotkin. His research interests are understanding the molecular mechanisms, particularly those outside the brain, that contribute to initiating pathology seen in Parkinson's disease. His background is in peripheral biomarker validation and neuroinflammation. His ultimate goal is to help develop technologies that identify and treat Parkinson’s disease in early or prodromal stages. He completed medical school and his graduate training at the Emory University School of Medicine where he worked in the lab of Dr. Malu Tansey on G-protein signaling and gene-environment interactions. He completed his neurology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters as well as running, biking, swimming, and playing tennis.